Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Monday, December 7, 2009

Black Friday. I hate this day. Always have and probably always will. Huge crowds drive me nuts! It is totally worth it to me to pay full price vs. fighting a tug of war with 'ol grandma Pearl on who saw that stupid sweater first! I really think Black Friday is a poor lame excuse for people to act like total...donkeys... and get away with it! *sigh*

And then this year happened...

We were in Murray, visiting John's family for Thanksgiving. I LOVE TURKEY DAY! Yams are my favorite and mom-in-law did a superb job fixing them! mmmm... And it was so nice to be with family. As the day went on, I was getting more and more achy. I figured it was because I ate so much yams! (didn't hit my brain that it could have been the fact that I was 9 months pregnant).

When the day drew nearer to an end, John asked if we could stay one more night. I had to make it to work the next morning by 9. I hesitated a little. I have a hard time getting up early in the morning, and I honestly was trying to decide on what to do about the traffic... you know... since, it was Black Friday and all. And I didn't know how traffic would be like on this stupid day in Salt Lake. OH! And then I remembered that I was 9 months pregnant and shouldn't be so far away from Logan. But, after all, I was 2 weeks away from my due date, and we were already down there, and I wanted more yams.... so Yes. Okay John. We will stay one more night.

When we finally went to bed. The last words John said to me were, "Now, don't let your water break for at least 6 more hours." He thinks he is so funny. My eyes sank and I quickly fell asleep.

Just as Edward and Bella were about to kiss (why I was dreaming this, only the sweet Lord knows why) My eyes flew open! Panic! I just wet the bed! ...wait... I quickly got up. Ran to the bathroom to check things out. I soon realized that I didn't wet the bed... or did I? Things are so confusing at 2 in the morning. I cleaned up. changed my clothes, and decided to go back to bed. I layed down, and let my thoughts run wild in my head. Did my water break? Or did I wet the.... Okay... I know for a fact that I am NOT wetting the bed right now. Again, I got up, cleaned what I could and decided to wake up the husband. I softly woke my love up, and explained to him that my water broke. He shot up and said, "You have got to be kidding me!" (but let's be honest, he didn't say "kidding"). "That. Or I just uncontrollably wet the bed," I explained. "Are you having any contractions?" "None."

Logan is about an hour and a half away from where we were. We weren't sure if we would make it or not. John decided to call the Logan hospital to see what we should do. They told us to go check in the nearest hospital (which was the new hospital, IntermountainHealthcare) to make sure everything is okay. Then they can tell us whether to stay, or if we can go. We stole John's dad's car (since the windows weren't frosted) and drove to the hospital. We told the nice lady at the desk our story and she along with the other nurses just grinned at our story. (You could tell they were trying not to laugh) I began to fill paper work out when I notice the sharp pain in my side. That was uncomfortable. They put me in room #4 and they began to examine. Everything was great. Baby great. Tina great. That contraction I think I just felt, not so great. I was only dilated to a 2. No biggie. I can make it back to Logan. No problem. That's when I started noticing my contractions. WOW! The Pain! Those are not fun. And they were coming every two minutes. The nurse left to tell the doctor what was going on. The doctor was the one to give me the yes or no. John and I talked it out. It didn't take long for our decision.

The doctor walked in. She was so nice! She explained what my labor was doing... and then she said, "So you want to deliver in Logan." I then said, "I did. But, I'm fine staying here. Can I please get the epidural!" She just laughed and said, "Good, cause i was just going to say you're not going anywhere." We all giggled and I said, "no seriously, I want the epidural." And I got it! Wow. Talk about a slice of heaven.

We then pretty much hung out for the next while. I then noticed some sharp pains in my side and asked the nurse for a little boost me up for the pain. She decided to check to see how far along I was. Needless to say, I went from a 3 to a 10 in 2 hours! The doctor gave us the okay to start pushing. Pushing only took about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. My favorite part was my support team. Especially my dear sweet husband! He was the best of them all. Even the time when he stopped counting because he was distracted by what was going down south. I think I pushed a little longer that round. I still love him anyway. 8 Hours of labor and then....Our baby girl was here! She was finally here. Our little Hadley. And we are noticing how our lives have just stopped so we can take care of this precious gift from our Heavenly Father. And we are great with that! I am so glad that we are an eternal family. We love her so so so much.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

We dressed up for work. This year, ALL of us. (I meant that directed towards me. I must confess that I typically don't dress up) And I must say, we all look rather festive. I really think the award goes out to the Bumblebee. Shayna - you did an awesome job on your costume!

John and I had a party to go to. When I came home from work, I was bummed to find out that John wasn't quite ready for Halloween. I gave him some options of what he should do, and so he figured he would copy me, and he could be a tourist. His nose is my favorite.

Also - these pictures show off my current baby bump. Still, on the small side, I know. But I feel rather pregnant. I have 4 weeks to go! And I am so stinking excited, I can hardly wait! John is super excited too. We'll keep ya posted. But, I'm not going to lie - I may slack off. But, I will for sure let you know when Baby Girl is here.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The other day, John was complaining about all the Box Elder Bugs making their way out to the open. I told him to get over it.

I love the fall. It is by far my favorite season. But, like all seasons, there is always some down fall to it. Such as - bugs making their way into your house. In Cache Valley, without fail, Box Elder Bugs seem to be the ones that everyone notices. They really have never bugged me. True, they tend to cover outdoor walls; True, you'd find one or two taking a shower with you; True, they are everywhere; but, honestly, I never was bothered by these specific insects.

Until today, now, and forever...

This weekend, John had to go to an overnight drill for the National Guard. I usually end up at my parent's house these typical weekends. Why? Because I can. Anyway - My dad said that there were a ton of Box Elder Bugs guarding the stake center doors. Like I have said in older posts, he decided to take matters into his own hands and fix the problem. So I went with my parents to watch Dad suffocate the crawlies. I figured it would be awesome entertainment. As he was finishing up, I reflected back to John's complaints about our own little invasion of these bugs. I asked Dad if he wanted to spray just a little around our front door to please John a little.

We drove over to my house and pulled into the drive. I looked a little closer than usual today at the outside walls of my house. "Huh," I thought to myself. "I don't remember so many Box Elder Bugs... oh well, carry on." Dad did what I asked him, just around the front door. And then, a little around a window... and then another window... probably more around the door... might as well get the two fornicating on the steps... (He sprayed more than necessary on those two).

In the mean time, he was telling me how he wished he had keys to the stake center so he could get any that were leaking inside. So I asked if he should just spray around the door on the inside part of my house. He said that it wouldn't hurt. I unlocked the door, turned the knob, walked inside, turned to face the door, looked down, and screamed inside my throat.

I'm not kidding nor exagerating. It felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. The Box Elder Bugs were flooding my front door area. I have NEVER seen anything like it from Box Elder Bugs. EVERYWHERE! IN MY HOUSE!!! INSIDE! Ugh - not fun. So Dad killed them. He enjoyed it. I think he even found more fornicating ones. My mom was with us, and she was kind enough to sweep them up for me (Although my baby bump is small, it is in the way of bending over).

They are mostly gone now, I find one here, two there, 5 there... but not nearly as bad as it was. AGAIN - Dad was the hero of the day. I am no longer friends with Box Elder Bugs. They bug me.

So - we had Spiders in the spring, Wasps in the summer, Box Elder Bugs in the fall... if I find mice in my house in the winter, I am going to freakin' lose it!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I really haven't been keeping up with showing off my baby bump, simply because... I really haven't had one. I feel way fortunate, but I'm kind of excited now that people are acknowledging that I look pregnant versus giving me stares that say "are you....?" (Note: those stares are directed towards my gut) And then, now that I look pregnant people dare say "are you...?" and then I say, "Yes. I'm about 7 months along..." and then I get gasps of disbelief... anyway - The point of this is not to brag. Just to say that although I'm not showing (my mom was the same way) as much, I do in fact feel pregnant.

The first tri: SICK! I did fine until week 9 to week 17ish. I hated the sight of food (unless it was watermelon). And the worst smell was and still is the garage. Crazy I know. I was sick every single morning, but did pretty well the rest of the day. Everyone informed me that by week 13 or 14 I would feel like a completely different person. Well, I did. :) For the worst. I could not keep anything down! And I felt so bad, because one of the worst days was on my baby sister's wedding day. I had to keep taking breaks from styling her up-do to go throw up. And then I didn't get the chance to pay attention to her ceremony because I was giving myself pep talks to not throw up in the middle of the great ordinance that was taking place. (No fear - I made it) But, you know. In a weird way, I was so grateful at the time for being sick. It was a friendly reminder that everything was okay, and that although I didn't feel up to par, my baby was doing great.

The second tri: MUCH BETTER! I loved it. I felt so good, and John informed me on how I finally had that pregnancy glow. (I was rather mean) My bump became somewhat noticeable, and I began to feel our baby - our baby girl - move! That is my all time favorite feeling in the world now. And the best part, was when John could begin to feel her move. If you want a tender moment, that was it.

The third tri: CURRENTLY FINDING OUT! I've been in this category for 2 weeks now. So far, not complaining. My back does give out. But, it probably doesn't help that I stand on my feet at work. Oh well. Water from the hot shower pounding on my back always helps. Pink is now our favorite color. John plays with our little girl as much as he can. Their favorite game is John will shake my belly, and then she will kick back and wait for a response. And then he shakes again, and then she will take her turn. And she only does that with John. I love it. I think John loves it more!

The "fourth" tri: FUTURE PLANS! My plans are to work up to the day of birth. Crazy I know. But we really need the income. When the chica comes, I will take at least a month's worth of maternity leave. When that time is up, I will continue to do hair. But, only 3 times a week. I'm looking forward to being a mom and I want to be with her as much as possible. And I am SO EXCITED to see the bond between John and his baby girl. 10 more weeks! She's almost here!

Okay, I'm quite the slacker! I know. But, we've had a few computer problems, and with a mixture of laziness, I haven't been able to keep up with the blog. But, I'm repenting, and now quickly filling you in some events....

Well, only one. August 8, 2009. John turns 25. And he has some what freaked out a little because he is now a quarter of a century. We made plans with his family and decided to spend the weekend at Bear Lake. Our plans consisted of typical camping activities, and boating at the lake. But, Mother Nature decided to put a twist on things, and the morning of John's glorious day, we woke up to freezing cold weather. Mind you, it's August. And the news said that day was a new record low high of 62 degrees. COLD! Luckily, we did pack some hoodies. And very luckily, our brother-in-law, Luke, had some connections for us to change boating into 4-wheeling. We had a ball. Here are pics to document the event...

Our adorable niece helping John open presents.

The Hottie McNaughty.

Luke and John. John thought he was a cowboy this weekend. Some mid-life crisis thing.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I am so blessed for my adorable hubby, John.For those of you who don't know, John has been gone for the last month in Washington (state) to do his LDAC training. (I didn't share this info sooner because I didn't feel too comfortable with the idea of informing the world through the internet that I was home alone for a month. not a good idea) LDAC is training for those who are in the ROTC and plan to become a Lieutenant in the military. Pretty much what he did was did crazy wilderness training (he even was interrogated in the gas chamber with no mask) and they annalyzed his ability as an officer. If you want to know more, visit www.warriorforge.wordpress.com

I finally got to pick him up from the airport last wednesday. This last week has been so wonderful to have him back. It's made me realize how much I take John for granted and that I should really appreciate all the things he does for me! I love him so much and I am so greatful to have the love of my life home with me again.*side note* Although a month seemed forever, I am so grateful it was ONLY a month. There are so many wives that I know that are (or have) waiting for their husbands to come home after long trainings or tours they've been on. Having John in the military really has opened up my eyes (and patriotic side) and has made me MORE grateful in the country that I live in and for those who have and are fighting for our freedom!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

The spider thing has gotten way out of hand! At least for me. For last few months, I've just been telling myself that there aren't any spider issues. I hate it so bad that I have to go to this totally different state of mind. Stupid I know. Due to my last post, my cute mom has been a little concerned for me. (She raised me, she knows how I feel about spiders) Hence, she told my father. And if you know Papa Poulsen, he gets the job done!!

(yes, I look just like my papa! :) )

He went out of his way, risking his life, came to my house, and sprayed the hair beasty things! And it was greatly needed because he informed there were 6 spiders in my tub downstairs, with the drain closed!! That's just not normal! Thank you for saving my life, Dad! You truly are the best! LOVE YOU! I think I will be able to sleep a little better at night now.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

So, I love our place. I love the space. I love the area. It's wonderful...but...the spiders! Oh, kill me - kill me now! They are EVERYWHERE! I hate them so bad. I was going to take a picture to show that they really do exist at my place, and couldn't bring myself to do that. And so I was trying to find a picture from the internet, and that was near impossible. So I google searched cartoon spiders, and realized I can handle that. Anyway - I hate spiders, and I have them all over my house. Outside, Inside, you name it, they are there. And they are big, BIG ones!

Just to prove the fact of how bad it is: My mother-in-law stayed with us for a weekend. After I told her goodnight, I heard a knock on my door not long after. She was asking me if we had any bug spray. John took it with him to drill that weekend, so I took Windex (because I learned from the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that it cures anything. And we know TV never lies) and went down to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, 3 HUGE SPIDERS hanging out in the tub. And they were the ones that crawled fast too. Then I remembered how when my sis-in-law stayed with us, and she said she found 7 HUGE SPIDERS in the tub! So my mom-in-law suggested that we shut the drain. We did so, and I think that helped. When I get brave (which was only once), I'll go down and check and there were no spiders in the tub. I asked John a couple of times to look for me - and he said he only found one lonely spider once. I try to block these experiences from my memory, so I did so. Until I woke up one morning with one crawling on my arm! (I literally am getting chills right now writing this post).

I talked to my brother, Wade, because he once was a super hero and called himself the "Orkin Man". (no, seriously, he sprayed bugs one summer in Tennessee) And he told me to spray the outside of my house, along with the inside. Well - I'm pregnant, so I don't much like the thought of inhaling that spray. So, he told me the sticky spider traps work really well too. Well, I don't like the thought of having to find them when it's time to replace them. And then he reminded me that I am married to someone that is in the Army National Guard, and can help get rid of them for me. So - therefore, I love my dear, army-strong, man of a husband. And my brother for all his advise.

That is all. There is no point to this blog entry, other than the fact that I am now realizing how bad I hate spiders and that I think I can safely say that I loath them. All of them. Thank you for listening.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

These purses are handmade by my friend's mom, Kathy Fortie. She does an amazong job, and has super cute product. You can check it all out at http://www.galpalpurse.com/

If anybody would like to join the festivities, please come! You are invited! E-mail me at tina_marie26@hotmail.com, (or leave a comment with your e-mail) and I will let you know the house address for the party! ...They are worth it. I love my bags from her. LOVE THEM!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

This weekend has been on my agenda for the last 6 months or so. I've been calling it "The Wedding Weekend".

It started on Thursday, June 4. John's best friend, Josh and his cute new wife Melissa, were hitched on this day at the Salt Lake Temple. It was gorgeous! I soon realized that I didn't have my camera with me, so I didn't get the chance to take a picture of them! Oh well - We are still way excited for them and wish the best. We didn't make it their reception because we had to return that night to begin the event of....

My baby sister's wedding!On Friday, June 5th, Niki and her sweetheart, Josh, were married in the Logan Temple. It is so fun to see how much Niki has grown in the past year or so. My brothers and I were talking amongst each other, and were having a hard time believing Niki was even old enough to be married. I don't know why - I'm only 3 years older than her. But, I still see the cute, little, chubby cheeked, blonde, (with over sized glasses - he he) being my shadow! I hated it then, but I think I miss it now. I love her so much! She and Josh will have a happy eternity and I am so excited for them! LOVE YOU! (and her wedding was beautiful as well)

Then Saturday, June 6th, I decided it's time share with the world what's on our agenda in 6 months or so....

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

John and I had the opportunity to go back east to see some of the civil war sites and Washington DC as well. Naturally, we decided to go.

For those of you who don't know, John is in the ROTC. They had a history class that you can get school credit for, and if family member wanted to go, they could (for only $550). We stayed in the army barracks, so I didn't get to stay with John. "Boys on the top floor, Girls on the main." I didn't mind too much, but I knew some of ladies didn't like the thought of not being able to stay with there hubbies. I figured at least it was somewhere to stay - for cheap!! They also provide breakfast and lunch. Dinner was up to us. As you can see - it was a steal of a deal.

It was way fun to go on this trip with the ROTC. Not only did we get a history lesson of Gettysburg and Antietam, they showed the different strategies the army took during the Civil War. I thought it kind of a cool perspective!

I organized the days of our trip in separate posts. Go ahead and scroll down to check out what... we... checked out... :)

I was so excited to come here. I kind of was a history nerd, and ate up the lesson on the civil war. It was amazing to come here. Gettysburg is absolutely beautiful. It is so hard to believe that these grounds were covered in blood, and so many died here.John looking at the Gettysburg.

Monument of Gen. Reynolds (they had monuments like this everywhere) Just a little tid-bit: If horse on the monument has one leg up, that means the officer on the horse was wounded in that battle in that general spot. If the horse is on two legs, it means that officer was killed in that general spot. As you can see, Gen. Reynolds didn't make it too far into the battle.

This monument was made for the 75th anniversary of the civil war. The remaining soldiers (both confederate and union), who were in their 90's and even 100's, came for the celebration. This monument means we are now one.

Another view of Gettysburg

This specific place was called Devil's Den. Many, many men died here. And there was lots and lots of blood here. So, they told us to have our lunch here. (I don't know how respectful that was now that I think of it, but it was a nice little picnic area). The orange we were holding fell...

...off this rock. (we were sitting on top of it). I still ate it. The orange was just easier to peel. Good Times.

This was on a hill they called Little Round Top. In this specific spot, the union beat the confederates... with no ammo. Of course the confederates didn't know that. Again, it was so neat to be here.

Gettysburg

Gettysburg Cemetery. Rows of unknown soldiers.

This monument is in the Gettysburg Cemetery. It marks the spot where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address: "Four scores and Seven Years ago.." This monument was later built after the speech was delivered.

Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle of the Civil War. It was so moving to be there. I forgot to pull my camera out for the first part of the day. oops. I guess I have to go again.Burnside's Bridge. The Confederates fought off the Union to buy time here. There motivation was whiskey... I don't blame them.

Soldier monument at Antietam Cemetery

Rows and Rows and Rows of headstones in the Antietam Cemetery. Most of the graves here were from the Battle of Antietam. About 23,000 casualties : 3,654 died, 17,292 wounded, and the rest captured or missing!

This is the first day we were in DC. We went to as many of the sights as possible. The best part of DC is that all the Smithsonian Museums are FREE! It is totally worth going. I defiantly recommend going. We also went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. You weren't allowed to take pictures there, which is for the best. I posted some of our pictures from the day. Not all. I didn't want to to bore you with ALL of them. Changing of the Guard

The Grave of the Unknown Soldier

Rows at Arlington Cemetery.

Washington Monument (notice how the monument changes color half way? They didn't have enough of the first stone to finish the monument, so they had to switch. How embarrassing!)

The Air and Space Museum

Where the archives are held.

The Constitution

The group we spent most of our time with. They were so much fun. I am so glad I got to know them all. We made great friends from this trip!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

For those of you who didn't know, John and I have the opportunity to take care of a couple's house while they are on their LDS mission. We will be here for the next 18 months (hopefully they get an extension). We are paying rent to help pay for their mission, but it's the same rent we payed for our two bedroom apartment. Also, we don't have to pay any utilities, except for internet and TV. (so we have no cable for a bit).

We have agreed to let them keep their furniture in their house. That is fine with us, because... well... we really didn't have much. So, no, I don't have old lady taste! (and they packed away personal stuff, such as dishes, clothes, etc. They only left out their furniture and some wall hangings. I get to use my own stuff, which is ideal) But the place still looks great! We love it here.

Here is a tour of our new place. Please excuse any clutter. We DID just move in. And also - Do I have a lisp? It sounds like I do. Let that amuse you as well!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

We are still alive! With all the moving, losing internet, getting the internet, etc... going on, I have slacked on keeping up the blog! And yet, I'm not going to this time. But, here is a sneak peek of what's to come...

John and I lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment surrounded by cold, white, boring, lifeless, cinder block walls! I felt like I lived in a church house classroom for the last 2 and half years! If anybody used to live or still lives in the Aggie Village Apartments, they'd understand how excited we are for these....

Thursday, March 5, 2009

8 T.V. Shows we watch:1. The Office2. Lie to Me3. American Idol4. Jon and Kate + 85. Friends6. What Not to Wear (please don't look at what I wear)7. King of Queens8. Secret Life of the American Teenager

8 Things that happened yesterday

1. Went to work and school

2. Did 11 haircuts while I was at work

3. John passed a test

4. Looked at the pile of dishes, that's it

5. Went to Mom and Dad's

6. Visited with Mom, Dad, Jared, and Susan - while watching Jackson make faces while he ate

Monday, February 23, 2009

I feel much, much better. It's the time of the year where everyone gets sick, and I was one of those "fortunate" souls. Thank You for all the concern. I'm golden. And so is John. I got him sick. But he actually got better before me. So don't feel bad for him. But, we are good to go.

Oh! And my birthday is on Thursday, Feb. 26. Just so you know... I like Gerber daisies and balloons.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

...well, not us. But, we are very fortunate to know a couple that are! Because we charmed (I don't know how, but we did) this couple, they want us to take care of their house (in Smithfield) while they serve in Samoa for a year and a half. So in a way - this will be quite the "mission" for us. Oh, what did I get myself into. :) Just kidding. We do feel very blessed and fortunate for the opportunity to house sit, and are thrilled!! We will be moving possibly the first of April or even a week or two before that. We are sad to leave our ward. We have made wonderful friends while we have been here. But, it was a no brainer to us when we were asked to take on this task. word!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I love my job. But, just like every other job, it has it moments. Like, yesterday...

I have a client that is in her 70's. And like most 70 year old women, she has to get her monthly perm. No problem. Perms aren't my favorite, but you do anything for a little extra money.

As I am rolling the perm in my clien'ts hair, she out of no where says, "You will have to excuse me for my social skills today..." I suddenly assumed she was going to tell me she was tired and she wasn't going to be very talkative. But my thoughts were interrupted abruptly when she said,"I'm feeling gassy."

I panicked. I must have heard wrong. Who admits that? (Right, a 70 year old woman) She continued,"I apologize for any smells that I may have. I can't really tell how bad it is. I think I may have lost my sense of smell. Carl [her boyfriend - that's a whole other story that's just as gaggy] tells me that I am pretty bad."

...yeah. Time goes on, and the heat began to rise. Now, I understand that when you get older, some people just can't help it. That's fine. But, there has to be a better way. And I know when I'm not being dramatic when my client says, "Oh, that must be really bad. I can smell that one."

Although I found out that I can now hold my breath a little longer than I thought, I beg to you all out there. If you feel a little pressure, PLEASE feel free to excuse yourself to the restroom.